Just got approved to write for Demand Studios? Congrats. But here comes the fun part–learning how to write articles according to all of Demand Studios’s guidelines. It’s not an easy or fast process. Make the learning process easier by getting these five things out of the way:

1. Print out all of the site and style guidelines. Spend a couple of hours reading over these guidelines carefully, highlighting and making notes where necessary. Keep these guidelines close to your work desk as you begin writing (it makes it easier to reference if you’re unsure how to write a certain article or section).

2. Familiarize yourself with each article format by viewing–and re-viewing–the examples. Look in the Demand Studios guidelines area for these. Print them out and review it while completing an article in that format to speed up the process.

3. Get your bio up! Upload an author photo (make sure it’s professional–a picture of your dog doesn’t count) and include a short, informational biography about yourself. Specific directions for this can be found in Demand Studios’s Work Desk area. Demand Studios reviews all bios and photos, so make sure it’s good.

4. Get into the habit of writing actionable sentences. Demand Studios is very strict about this–they don’t want articles filled with jargon or weak sentences. Work on eliminating passive phrases and strengthening your sentences with actionable verbs, facts and information specifically related to the article’s topic. (Additional reading: How to Stop ‘Passive Writing’ Tutorial)

5. Check out your published article after it’s accepted. There’s a section in your Demand Studios Work Desk for published work. Sometimes editors leave comments about your article–what needs improvement, if it’s good, what they edited, etc. Take note of it and use their tips to improve your article.

One last tip: if you get a rewrite, don’t panic. Rewrites are extremely common. Follow the editor’s instructions for correcting the article and resubmit it. If the rewrite doesn’t seem doable (or you don’t understand how to do it), email the editorial staff for help. They’re always willing to explain how to fix a rewrite, even the less reasonable ones.